Pakistan set to release pilot as ‘peace gesture’
Pakistan said on Thursday it will release a captured Indian pilot in a “peace gesture”, taking a step towards rapprochement as clashes between the nuclear-armed rivals ignited fears of a disastrous conflict.
The pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, has become the face of the crisis since he was shot down in a rare aerial engagement between the South Asian neighbours on Wednesday.
With anger boiling over his capture in India, analysts have touted him as a potential trump card for Islamabad.
“As a peace gesture we are releasing the Indian pilot tomorrow,” Prime Minister Imran Khan told a joint session of parliament.
Parliamentarians stamped their feet in approval at his statement, the first sign of a potential thaw after a dangerous sequence of events between the two countries sent tensions soaring.
Tit-for-tat raids across their hairtrigger border have alarmed world powers including China and the US, who have urged restraint.
“I am afraid of miscalculations,” Khan said. “We should not even think of war, especially in view of the lethality of the weapons that we have.”
However he warned that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi should not misconstrue his desire to de-escalate as “weakness”.
“India must know that we will be forced to strongly retaliate against any Indian action in the future,” he said. Pakistan has closed its airspace indefinitely, and the army said on Thursday its troops were on high alert along the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides Kashmir.
Authorities have tightened security across the country, with hospitals on alert and leave for police and other security officials cancelled in some cities.
Analysts have said the pilot’s fate, and his safe release, could prove central to the neighbours pulling back from the brink.
US President Donald Trump has voiced optimism that the tensions could soon be resolved.
“We have had some reasonably decent news... Hopefully that’s going to be coming to an end,” he said of the crisis, speaking to reporters in Hanoi after a summit there with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Mohammad Faisal, the Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters on Thursday that the pilot had “some mishap before our officers reached there because he was caught by the public”. But he stressed the pilot was now “with us, he is safe and in good condition”.
A video released by the Pakistani military later showed Abhinandan sipping tea, his face swollen and sporting bruises but otherwise collected and calm.
He thanked the “thorough gentlemen” who rescued him from the mob and complimented the tea as “fantastic”. It was unclear if he had been coerced to speak.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Thursday.
The Minister told Geo News: “Prime Minister Imran Khan is ready to talk to Narendra Modi on the telephone and ready to extend an invitation of peace. Is Modi ready?”
He added: “I have just received the (Indian) dossier (on the Pulwama terror attack) and have not gotten the chance to examine it... I will still say that we will see and examine the dossier with an open heart.
“I wish they (India) would have sent this dossier earlier. They attacked first and then sent the dossier. If they would have sent the dossier first and sought Pakistan’s answer, there would be no need for an attack.”
Asserting that Pakistan had been calling for peace since day one, Qureshi said: “If India wants to talk about terrorism, then we are ready.
“You (India) want to risk regional stability for politics,” he said.
Qureshi asked: “God forbid there is a war, Pakistan will be affected but will India’s economy not suffer?”
The Minister added that the Saudi Foreign Minister was departing for Pakistan.
He also welcomed US President Donald Trump’s statement on Pakistan-India tensions. —
Pakistan wants peace, but it should not be treated as our weakness. The region will prosper if there is peace and stability. It is good for both sides. We did not want to inflict any casualty on India as we wanted to act in a responsible manner. War is not a solution. If India takes any action, we will have to retaliate.